novelnext Chapter 126 120 points of land
Chapter 126 120 points of land
Returning from Emerald Sea Star to Ruyi City took merely two hours. The Insight, too, had ridden the warp bubble of the Sacred Falcon back to Ruyi City for rest and refurbishment. If the Insight had to travel under its own warp speed, it would have required nearly five days to reach Earth.
Essentially, except for the Sacred Falcon, the design speed of all warships is Wrap6, which is close to 400 times the speed of light. However, the Iridium Star Warship doesn't differentiate between maximum speed and cruising speed; as soon as warp is engaged, it consistently maintains this speed.
After Bai Zhongqi returned to Ruyi City, he kept out of the public eye and began planning for Emerald Sea Star. Xiang Fei, on the other hand, quickly returned to the Imperial Capital via a shuttle to file his observation report.
Xiang Fei was back in the Imperial Capital in just sixteen hours and the following day, he rushed back to Ruyi City. This time he sought an audience with Du Peng, the Prime Minister of Iridium Star, with a crucial question, "If we join the Star Alliance now, how much land on Emerald Sea Star could C country obtain?"
In a conference room that wasn't particularly large, Du Peng and Xiang Fei sat opposite each other, with a holographic projection of Emerald Sea Star displayed between them. Experience more tales on empire
Seeing that Xiang Fei had gotten straight to the point, Du Peng didn't beat around the bush either, "His Excellency the Chancellor has decreed that the Iridium Star United Empire will establish Emerald Sea Star as an Administrative Star.
But, in keeping with the principle of Star Alliance unity, Iridium Star's Administrative Star will also reserve corresponding spaces for the Star Alliance and its member states."
Upon hearing Du Peng's words, Xiang Fei felt a tightening in his chest. Although C country had already anticipated this, Emerald Sea Star was after all discovered by Iridium Star. Even on Earth, the principle of 'first to discover, first to possess' applied in matters of territory. And if C country wished to colonize Emerald Sea Star, it could only do so as a subsidiary of Iridium Star.
Thus, the following scenario was inevitable: nominally, C country would gain a piece of land under its own flag, but to operate this territory and derive benefits from it, it would unavoidably rely on the people of Iridium Star.
However, Xiang Fei was a sensible man. Once the Star Alliance was truly established, there would be no distinction between C country and Iridium Star. Since its founding, C country had certainly followed an independent path, but not for a single moment was it truly free of foreign influence. Now, that influence came from the Iridium Star United Empire.
Fortunately, its monarch was a citizen of C country, and there was considerable alignment of interests. Iridium Star had no intention of forcibly or maliciously ruling over C country, so even with the knowledge of significant potential constraints, the benefits were greater!
To the southeast of the Southern Continent, south of Chiyuan Ridge, lay the clay plains. After initial surveys, these plains were named for their relatively infertile soil and the abundant colored metals deep underground, with plenty of clay.
Its advantages were obviously not as significant as the immense eastern plains of the Legendary Continent, but the environment was somewhat akin to the hilly southeast of C country.
Elephant Trunk Island was an island with a relatively flat terrain, spanning over two million square kilometers. Its silhouette resembled the trunk of an elephant, hence its name. It was also the largest island on Emerald Sea Star.
Together, these two regions accounted for over 5 million square kilometers, more than half of the current territory of C country, and both were areas with relatively flat terrain, posing smaller engineering challenges. With improvements to the local soil, their agricultural potential was quite promising.
Both the clay plains and Elephant Trunk Island had already been discovered by the people of the Northern Continent, but due to the vast distance and limited output of the clay plains, along with the island being uninhabited, the Northern Continent countries prioritized the development of the grassland regions, which were closer and more productive.
Xiang Fei felt his heart might burst, thinking to himself, "Five million square kilometers! Much better than I had expected."
Watching Xiang Fei's reaction, the Prime Minister Du Peng felt a touch of disdain. Although he did not fully agree with the Chancellor's decision to hand over five million square kilometers of land to the people of C country who had done nothing, for Iridium Star, the expanse of territory occupied in another universe was so vast that such a gift was trivial.
For planets like Emerald Sea Star, were it not for being the first encountered in the new universe with some indigenous presence, they wouldn't even qualify for the status of an Administrative Star.
The Empire had countless planets more suitable for habitation than Emerald Sea Star, labeled as resource planets and left untouched, with perhaps only some reckless tourists venturing to those barren worlds for exploration.
On second thought, C country was effectively tied to the chariot of the Empire, essentially becoming a vassal state, with no real difference between its lands and those of the Empire.
Xiang Fei clapped his hands, nearly startling Du Peng who was deep in thought, and said with a smile, "Let it be the clay plains and Elephant Trunk Island then. After careful consideration, C country has decided to join the Star Alliance, and the accession agreement can be signed within three days!"